Skip to main content

Good Question

The other day, a patient asked me, "Do you have any pets?" Immediately, I pictured Spike and his cute little mustached face and hilarious personality. I replied, "Yes, a little Cairn Terrier. How about you?"

She told me about her three Italian Greyhounds, and showed me pictures on her phone.

It struck me suddenly that this is a fabulous question to ask people. It's not invasive, it won't make the childless people hurt, and there may be some fascinating stories behind the answers.

Usually, patients and other strangers ask me if I have children. I say, "No, not yet" and leave it at that, quickly getting back into my therapeutic nursing communication mode to get the focus off me and back onto the patient. But I always feel the ache of having to say "No, not yet" over and over again. It just felt so good to be able to say, "Yes!" to the pet question.

Comments

Stef said…
I'd love to see a picture of your dog sometime!

I still pray for you guys every night...
June 2, 2009 at 1:55 PM
Trisha said…
Cairn Terriers are cute! I didn't know you guys had one - how fun. What is his/her name? I'd love a small adorable dog someday.
June 2, 2009 at 6:45 PM
Tiffani P said…
I hear you, Jenny. And even though I don't have a pet I would totally rather answer that than questions about kids, boyfriends, and marriage.

Thinking of you often. Love, Tiff
June 2, 2009 at 8:36 PM
jillyco said…
Your little Spike is so cute! And thanks for the reminder to be considerate. I think I've asked that very question (about kids) without thinking, so thank you for making me think! :)

And I'm glad you posted something new. I was getting all sorts of questions about "the largest vagina" posting on our blog! haha!
June 5, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Stef said…
Jill - just tell curious people, all they have to do is click on it, read and it will all be explained. :)
June 7, 2009 at 11:53 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quite Possibly, the World's Largest Vagina

Yesterday, I got report on my rooms, including Room 5. Room 5 was a female, in her late 40's, and weighed somewhere between 250 - 300 lbs. She had come to the ER because her chronic back pain had gotten too intense to handle at home. She was unable to lie on a bed because of her severe pain and had been sleeping sitting up in a chair at home for a few weeks. When offered pain medication, the pt. declined. She also complained of abdominal pain and diarrhea, but since she couldn't lie flat, we weren't able to do a CT scan or MRI or pelvic ultrasound. We tested her stool and it was positive for blood. She gave a urine sample, and there was also blood in her urine. I told the doctor about these results, and he said that "we" needed to get a sterile urine sample by catheter. "We" in these situations means ME. About every 10 minutes, the patient had to go into the bathroom to have bloody diarrhea. Her sheer girth made it impossible for her to clean herself th
6 comments
Read more

Opportunities for Regret

During this last work rotation, I met a few people that have not left my mind. I've actually prayed for them each, several times. This is unusual since often, I have forgotten yesterday's work entirely as I rush into today's workload. The first was Margaret, a woman who had had multiple miscarriages. She was angry, and crying in a wheelchair in the ER waiting room, and I apologized for the wait (about 2 hours) as I rolled her back to one of my rooms. Hallway, actually. As soon as I could, I got her into a room, and heard her story. She was about 10 weeks along, had just stopped taking Prometrium, and had had a sudden onset of bleeding while at work. She was scared, panicked, anxious, and upset. Instead of telling her "we won't really be able to do anything except an ultrasound since you're so early in this pregnancy," I just listened. Blood work was sent off, a pelvic exam was done, and off she went to ultrasound. Her husband waited in the room. Hours late
4 comments
Read more